Roller-press.



Patented oct. 6,1908.

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n. aman. BOLJIR EHESS L?!L IOLTI\I .YIL'ED JUL! 7, 13N. Patented (mt`6,1908.

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ROLLER 23H88.

Brumm! man :on '1. 1m.

Patented Odi. 6,1908.

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' .Amm/51s E. BEAGAN. 3mm russ APLICATIOI FILED JULY 7, il,

Patented Oct. 6,1908.

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I No. 900,205.

UNITED sratiis 'PATENT OFFICE.

lEDGAR REAGAN, F SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TOREAGAN BALE COMPANY, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

ROLLER-PRESS.

Speccation'oflLetten Patent.

Application med-July 7, m6. Sex-ld. No. 325,122.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR RBAGAN, a citizen ef the United States,residing at 'San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and yState of Texas,have invented a new and useful Roller-Press, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to roller presses for the formaticn of round orcylindrical cotton bales, and has for its principal object to provide apress of simple construction by means of ,which a bat of cotton or othermaterial may be wound under any desired pressure into the form of acylindrical bale.

A further object of the invention is to provide a press of this type inwhich the compressionforce is automatically increased 'during theformation of the bale, the outer layers being condensed to a muchgreater extent than the inner layers and core portion of the bale.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a balinfr pressthat is arranged to receive a woundbcore or small bale, and to wind onthe same a bat of any desired length and condensed to any desiredextent.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel form ofend or head plate for engafrement with the end portion of the bale, saiplate being arranged to revolve with the bale, so that there is nofriction such as might tend to destroy or impair the value of thecotton, the ends of the bale being left in such condition as to permitex amination of all parts of the bale.

A still further object of the invention is to provide improved means forsupporting the end or head plate, and for moving the Saule toward andfrom the ends of the nale.

A still further object of the invention is to provide improved means forreventing uneven or irregular movement o the housings of the movablecompression rolls during the regress of forming the bale.

l ith these and other objects in view, as

will vmore fully hereinafter appezu, the invention consists in certainnovel features of instruction and arrnugmuent of parts, here- Y 'innfterfully described, illustrated in the xummpanying dmwings, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being lmdemmod thatvarious changes in the forni, progwrtions, size and minor details of thestmctxma may be made without departing -:from the spirit or sacricingany of the advantages of the invention.

.In the accompanying drawings :F1gure 1 isA a longitudinal sectionalelevation of a baling press constructed in accordance with theinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of tle same. Fig. 3 is a side elevationof the press, parts being broken away in order to more clearlyillustrate the construction. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the presson the line 4-4 of .F ig. 2. Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 5-5 ofFig. 2. Fig. 6 is a transverf e section of the machine on the line 6-6of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is va rear elevation of the connecting bar of themovable housings. Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the same. F 1g. 9 is avertical sectional view of the mechanism for adjusting the position ofthe movab.e end or head plate. Fig. 10 is a sectional plan view of thesame. Fig. 11 is a side elevation, illustrating particularly the meansfor automatically regulating the pressure on the bale. Fig. 12 1s an endview of the same. v

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several gures of the drawings.

The press is mounted on a suitable base 10, formed of I beams or thelike, said base carrying a pair of end frames or standards 15 and 16which are connected to each other by four loneitudinal bars 17, thesebars being preferably hollow and servino' in part as spacing sleeveswhich surroundtbolts 18, the ends of the bolts extending throughsuitable openings formed in the housings and carrying clamping nuts l!)which may be turned tightly against the outer faces of the end plates.

Mounted slidably on the tubes 17 are movable housings 20 which areconnected together by a transversely disposed bar 22, said bar beinghollow for its entire length, and having for the reception of atransversely disposed shaft through which motion is imparted-to thecommission rolls carried by said movable housings.

Secured to the central portion of the bnr' 29 is a-piston or plunger md24 mrtving a piston or plunger that is arranged within n cylinder 25that is rigidly secured to thc fixed housing or 0nd frame 1G, andprevisioni is made for admitting a fluid or liquid to the cylinder underany desired pressure' for the purpose of holding the compression rollsof the movable housing in engagement with the bale being formed. Theframe tubes 17 also serve as supports for fixed housings 27, and thesehousings are provided with bearings for the support of roller shafts 28on which are mounted compression rollers 29, while the movable housingsare provided with bearin for the support of roller shafts 30 on whichare mounted compression rolls 3l, these four rolls being arranged toform a baling chamber into which the bat is conducted and wound underany pressure into the form of a cylindrical bale. During this operationthe rolls carried b the movable housings move backward un er the aduallaccumulating material of whic the ba e is formed, and this backwardmovement is resisted by the pressure of the fluid within the c linder25, so that the material will be tiglitl compressed. Provision is alsomade for afiiusti'ig the degree of pressure, so that a. bale of anydensity ma be formed.

At one end of each o the shafts 28 is a gear wheel 33, and these twogear wheels intermesh with a pinion 34 that is arranged at one end of: ashaft 35 adapted to suitable bearings in the two fixed housinfrs. At theopposite erd of the shaft 35 is a arge bevel gear 36 which intermesheswith a inion 37 mounted on the main shaft 38. he shaft 38 is mounted insuitable bearinfrs formed in brackets projecting from the xe end frames15 and 16 at one side of the machine, and is connected to any suitabledriving mechanism, this mechanisminthe resentinstance beingshown in theform of a diiving shaft 40 having tight and loose pulleys 41 and 42, andprovided with a pinion 43 which intermeshes with a gear 44 on the shaft38. This shaft 38 is provided with a portion of rectangular or othernoncircular form in cross section, the non'circular portion 45 extendingalongside the movable housings and receiving the elongated hub 46 of abevel pinion 47, the hub and pinion being provided with an open ing of acontour corresponding to the cross sectional contour of this portion ofthe shaft. The elongated hub 46 is slightl reduced in diameter at oneend, and exten s through a circular o ning formed in a bracket 49 thatprojects one of the movable housings,

and is held in place by a collar or ring 50 that is firmly secured tothe end of the hub and bears against the rear face of the bracket. Thisbracket, therefore, will net as In additional bearing or support for thedraft 3B, and the bevel gear 4 will be comu llcdto move to and fro withthe movable usings, while at the saine time remaining in operative engaement with the shaft, so that `movement wilixbe transmitted to the beveln'n no matter what the position of the termeshes with a bevel gear 52that is arranged at one end of the shaft 23. At the opposite end of theshaft 23 is a s ur pinion 43 that -intermeshes with a pair o gears 54,that are keyed or otherwise secured to the roll shafts 30.

The construction and arrangement of the gearing connections are suchthat all of the rolls will be constantly driven, so long as the shaft 38rotates, and during this movement the movable housings are free to moveoutward from the fixed housings as the bale gradually increases in size,without disturbinnr the driving connections. The rolls are alf rotatedin the same direction with reference to the bale being formed, and haveequal surface speeds.

In this class of devices there is more or less tendency to irregularmovement of the movable housings due to unevenness in thethiclmess ofthe bat, or to unequal friction or resistance to the movement of the twohousings. In order to correct this and prevent the binding or clampingof the housings on the guides, the eonneetinv bar 22 of the movablehousings is provited near each end with pivot lugs 55 to which areconnected rack bars 56. The rack bars 56 engaffe with a pair of pinions57 that are rlgillly secured to a transversely disposed shaft 58. thelatter being mounted in bearings formed in a pair of brackets 59 thatare firmly secured to the end frame 16, and the lowermost frame tubes17. The racks are held down in engagement with the gears 57 by 100rollers 60, so that they remain in constant mesh, and any rearwardmovement of one housing will act through the rack bar nearest thathousing to turn the shaft 58 and the movement will be transmittedthrough the 105 opposite rack bar to the second housing, so that underall circumstances the axes of the four compression rolls will remain inparallel relation.

One of the principal diflieulties eiieoun- 110 tered in the o ration ofroller presses is in maintaining t e ends of the bales perfectlystraight, and without injuring the cotton. lVhere the ends of the baleare held afvainst friction plates, the cotton is injured and 115discolored, and in some cases the friction may be sutlieient to causefire, but in any event it is dillicult to determine 'the grado and valueof the cotton by an examination of the end of the bale.

Inl carrying out the present invention, provision 1s made formaintaining the ends of the bale inperftly straight lines without anyinjury or discoloration of the cotton, so that -false packing may beinstantly de- 12S tected and sain )les may he taken from :my part of theha e. To accomplish this, the ends of the bale are engaged by smallrevolulilo end disks 65, the inner aces of which are lined withvulcanized fiber or similar mn- 13 l5' ousings may be. The beve pinion47 in- -wfml f 'd l Vterial in order to prevent contact between thecotton andthe metal of the disks, so that no discoloration from oxid ofiron can result. These disks are free to revolve with the bale 'beingformed, and provision is made for maintaining their axes of rotation inthe same lane as'the axis of rotation .of the bale. ne or both of thesedisks may be arranged` to move outward from the end of the. bale afterthe bale forming operation, in order to permit the discharge of the balefrom the press. The disks are carried by short shafts 67 which findbearings in two slidable frames 68 that are carried by the frame tubes17. Each of these slidable frames is provided with an extended hub 69which passes through an opening formed at the center of an ualizinglever 70, the opposite ends of which are connected respectively to thefixed and movable housings by links 71, and as the arms of each leverare of equal length, and the point of connection with the housings isequidistant from the axes of the disks, said disks will be maintainedwith their axes at the point of intersection of diagonals connecting theaxes of the four rolls. -As the disks are free to rotate with the bale,there is no friction whatever between the ends ofthe bale and the disksand the cotton cannot be injured by contact with said disks.

It is necessary that one of the disks be arranged to move outward inorder to free the bale and permit its discharge from the press, and forthis purpose one of the extended hubs 69 is provided with a cylindricalblock 73 of the same diameter as the shaft 67, and connected thereto bya screw 74 in such manner that the block 73 may remain stationary whilethe shaft 67 revolves with the disk. In order to reduce friction, asnitable packing disk 7 5 is introduced between the end of the shaft andthe block. The c lindrical block is provided with a diametricallyarranged slot 76 that is arranged for the reception of a rectangularblock 77 that has an opening to receive an eccentric Y 78. The eccentricis secured on a vertical shaft or spindle 79, the lower end of which isseated in an opening formed in a pluff S0 that is secured to a threadedopening o? the hub 69, und also extends through a guiding nin" formed inn similar plugor ring nut B1. xe shaft or spindle is further guided byan opening formed in a bracket arm S2 projecting from the frame 68, andat the vupper end of said shaft or spindle is an operating handle 83which may be turned, lfterthe bale is ready to be disclmrgul. Theturning of the shaft or spindle to the extent Uf half n revolution willact through the Moultrie 78 and block 77 tu move the cylindrical block73 outward and this will draw the shaft 67 and the end disk carriedthereby 66 away from the end of the bale, so that the latter may bedischarged from the press when the movable rolls have been drawnrearward to allow the bale to drop down from the baling chamber. YVhileonly one of the disks has leen shown as movable toward and from the endof the bale, it is obvious that both disks may be so constructed ifdesired.

During the bale forming operation, the movable housings are held up withtheir rolls 'in engagement with the bale by the action of a fluid underpressure which is admitted to the rea-r end of the cylinder through apipe 85. In this pipe is a pressure regulating valve 89 (Fig. 1l) whichmay be of any ordinary construction, and provision is made forautomatically increasing the pressure of the fluid admitted to thecylinder as the bale forming operation progresses. it being deemedadvisable to subject the bale to gradually increased pressure until thebaling operation is completed.

Mounted on a suitable pivot 91 is a lever I 92, one arm of which bearson the stem 93 of the pressure regulating valve 89. The opposite arm ofthe lever carries an adjustable weight 94 which tends to relieve thedownward pressure of the valve stem. On the first arm of the lever ismounted an adjustable weight 96 which may be provided with suitablecarrying rollers 9T to reduce fries tion. This slidable weight tends tomove the stem of the regulating valve' downward and allow increase inpressure in the cylinder. The slidable weight is connected by a link 98to a lever 99 that is pivoted on a lug or bracket 100 carried by thebase of the machine. The lever 99 is engaged by a rod 101 that isprovided with a pair of anti-friction rolls 102 engaging against theopposite sides of said lever. The forward end of the rod 101 isconnected to a bracket arm 102 (Fio. 8) that is carried by the cross bar22 of t le movable housings, and as the housings move back during thegradualvincrease in diameter of the bale, movement will be transmittedthrough the rod 101 to the lever 99 and the movable weight 96 will bemoved outward from the fulcrum point of the lever, gradually increasingthe .leverage force and the weight which is imposed on the stein 93 ofthe regulating valve so that the latter will be com llled to open to agreater extent than it woulii` under the pressure of the fluid alone,and this will result in gradual increase in pressure in the. cylinder,that as the bale .120

The density of the bale may be inc-mimi or decreased by adjusting thedegree of ressure of the' fluid within the cylinder and 125 :y adjustingthe point at which the increase of pressure mmmenees. This xdjustmmt isaccomplished by altering the mint of ron- .nection lwlween the rod 101and the lever 99. If the point of connection of the lever 101 is l' 5near the fulcrum of the lever 99, the weight 96 will be moved to a A'theformation of the bale than it would durgreater extent during -ing theformation of a bale of the same size if the point of connection weredistant from vthe fulcrum. The upper end of the lever 99 is turned toform an arm 104 having an opening for the assage of a rod 105, the lowerend of whic is pivotally connected to the rod 101. Thev upper end of therod 105 'is threaded for the reception of a nut 106 which may be turnedfor the purpose of raisor lowering the rod 101, and adjust its point ogfconnection with the lever 99.

After the bale is completed, and it is desired to discharge the samefrom the press, the controlling valve 107 in the main inlet .pipe isclosed, and an exhaust valve 108 is opened, allowinfr the fluid toescape from the rear end of tlhe cylinder. An inlet valve 109 may thenbe opened to allow fluid under pressure to enter the front end of thecylinder and force the piston back for the pur-v pose of withdrawing themovable housings and opening the baling chamber to an eX- tentsutlicieut to allow the complete bale to drop down between the lowermostrolls.

The finished bale falls on an endless conveyer 112 by which it may becarried to a weighing scale or other suitable point.

1. In a baling press, the combination with a plurality of compressionrolls, a fluid pressure means for resisting outward movement of one ofthem as the diameter of the bale increases, automatic means foreffecting lgradual increase in the pressure exerted on the bale as thediameter of the bale gradually increases, and means for adjusting theperiod and extent of such increased pressure. 2. In a baling press, aplurality of rolls,

Y movable housings carrying one pair of rolls,

a cylinder, a iston arranged therein and connected to t e movablehousings, a fluid ressure supply pipe connected to the cyliner, apressure regulating valve connected .to said pipe, a lever bearing onthe stem of the valve, a slidable weight carried by the lever, apivotally mounted intermediate lcver connected to the weight, a barextending from the movable housings and connected to the intermediatelever, and means for varying the point of connection between the barnld-the intermediate lever to thereby alter the period and extent ofmofvunmt of the weight.

".VA In a balinigP press, a plurality of pairs of rolls, movable musingscari-ving une pair of mils, n. fluid pressure cylim er, a pistonarranged therein and connected to the movable housings, a fluid fessuresupply pipo leading to the eylim er, a pressure regulating "alveconnected in the pipe, uml a lever having two arms, one of which isarrnngisl to engage the stem of the valve, an adjustable weight tendingto prevent active movement of the lever against the valve stem, aslidably mounted weight tending to force the lever into engagement withthe stem and open the valve, a lever connected to the weicht, and a rodextending from one of the housings and connected to said lever. A 4. Ina roller press, the combination with a plurality of pairs of rolls, `ofmovable housings carrying one pair of rolls, a fluid pressure cylinder,a piston arranged therein and connected to the housings, a pressuresupply pipe leading to the cylinder, a pres-` sure regulating valve insaid sup ly pipe, a lever engaging the stem of the valira, a movableweight on said lever, a. second lever having a'n elongated connectionwith the weight, an arm extending from said second lever, a rodconnected to one of the housings and slidably connected to the secondlever, a threaded rod extending between the connecting rod and the arm,and an adjusting n-it on said threaded rod to alter the connectionbetween the connecting rod and the second lever.

5. In a roller press, a plurality of rolls, housings carrying the rollsand movable relatively to each other, a pair of slidable bracketsarranged between the housings, a pair of alining shafts journaled in thebrackets, one of said shafts being movable in the direction of itslength, freely revoluble disks carried by the shafts and arranged toengage with the opposite ends of the bale, a cylindrical block mountedin one of the brackets and connected to the movable shaft, and a cam forimparting endwise movement to said block.

6. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with an enddisk, of a shaft carrying the same, a shaft support, a cylindrical blockcarried by the support in alinement with the shaft, said block beingprovided 1 with a recess and with a spindle receiving opening, arectangular block arranged within the recess and having an eccentricreceiving opening, a spindle, and an eccentric carried by the spindleand arranged within said opening, whereby longitudinal movement may beimparted to the shaft by the turning 11 of the spindle. v 7. Inmechanism ofthe class described, the combination with anend disk or huh,of a shaft carxying the same, a shaft support., a

cylindrical block ar port and cminected to the shaft, a spindleextending through the. su port and the block, an eccentric carried y thespindle, and a rwtangular block carried b the cylindrical block andhaving an opening for the 126 reception of said eccentric.

8. ln a roller press, a frame, a pair of movable housings, rolls carriedby said housings, a cross har forming a connection between the twomovable housings, a pair of 180 ranged within the suprack bars mountedfor pivotal motion on In testimony that I claim the foregoing as saidcross bar, a shaft extending transversely my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature of the machine, a pair of'gears rigidly sein the presenceof two witnesses.

cured to the shaft and with which said racks EDGAR REAGAN. 5 intermesh,and a air of tack guiding rollers Witnesses: I A arranged to hol theracks in constant en- R. M. TAnL'roN, gagement with said gears. P. H.SWEDRIGLES.

